Fiorini Restaurant Review

: When Lello Arpaia opened his first restaurant in Long Island nearly four decades ago, he had no idea that the restaurant bug would grab him so completely that he would bring New Yorkers some of the city’s finest Italian restaurants, from Lello to Scarlatti to Bellini and Fiorini. The latter exemplifies what Arpaia does best: offer fine executions of some of the best Italian recipes around. Nothing is fancy, and the cuisine here is the opposite of fusion or trendy. Start with grilled Atlantic calamari paired with a fresh mesclun salad. Then move on to a pasta dish; we suggest the gnocchi topped with Gorgonzola sauce that has hints of sweetness to it. The lovely grilled swordfish is topped with olives and surrounded by a tangy tomato sauce. Veal medallions, with seasonal black truffles and fava bean purée, take on a richness from the sauce that is complementary and not overpowering. Anticipatory service brings warm focaccia at just the right moment, second-guesses an interest in wines to accompany each dish, and serves up crunchy biscotti to go with a machiatti.